Tuesday, November 2, 2010

A Delivery from Another World

We were beside ourselves with excitement the other day when box after box arrived bearing strange and wonderful markings. It must be another shipment of inks, sealing wax, and other treasures from our friends at Abraxas!

I fell in love with Abraxas during the ten years I spent painting with nothing but inks. After trying as many different brands as I could find, I decided that theirs were the ultimate. Abraxas' palette spans an unrivaled spectrum of colors. I loved the effects I could get from them. The Carbonite ink from the Artist's Line, for example, begins as a grey color but, with the addition of water separates into a slate blue and an orange. Some of the inks are made from natural materials such as flowers, herbs, and minerals. Incredible!That kind of alchemy isn't the only parallel one can draw between Abraxas and medieval magic. Just look at the above photographs of their workshop they sent along with the shipment. More than any other place, Abraxas epitomizes the type of artist-run shop and business we aspire to be at Castle in the Air -- ancient apothecary bottles full of pigment lining the walls, all the labels applied by hand -- and always with a cup of tea nearby! It's clear that the people at Abraxas are living the dream, and I for one couldn't imagine a more perfect place, or more perfect products.The love and attention to detail Abraxas puts into their products extends to their packing as well, like these beautiful identification charts for the sealing wax and inks. If you're ready to dive into the amazing world of Abraxas, come see us at Castle in the Air or check out our freshly restocked sealing wax and ink selections at the Online Shoppe.